Wolfswan
by bblair89
Summary: Katerina is a Katagari wolfswan from a pack in northern Canada. She's never met anyone outside her own violent pack, and has never considered leaving until she's not given a choice and is forced to flee. She finds herself alone in New Orleans, trying to figure out how to be human when all she's ever known is wolf. And so comes Keegan, an unlikely and annoying wolf in shining armor
1. Chapter 1

She snarled at whoever was nudging her awake with a paw, and sleepily opened her eyes to see that she'd fallen asleep on the far end of the territory again, then lifted her gold eyes to Jovan, who was kicking her with a front paw, his muzzle streaked with blood. ~Stop that.~ She linked to him, making him huff a laugh at her.

Jovan, one of the males of her Arctic pack, looked down at her, wolf formed and growling low. ~Then get up, little bitch. Damek doesn't like you being gone all night.~

She grumbled but slowly rose to her feet. Jovan cuffed her ear, and growled to hurry her up, and she jumped to her feet, rubbing her ear with her paw annoyedly. She followed his fast lope back to the valley the pack made bed, and let him pad off in a different direction once they'd arrived. She made her way down to the stream for a drink, passing Aren, who was licking blood off his flank from some scuffle the poor omega had probably gotten forced into, and Erika, nuzzling Brittta comfortingly, who was curled in on herself miserably. The smell of sex lingered in the air, and Katty winced for Britta, wondering who'd claimed her, or if they'd shared her. She didn't go over; while Erika was nice to her, Britta would only lash out. No wonder she'd been so piqued as of lately, she must have known what was coming. Katty shivered, and upped her pace to the stream, keeping her head low.

She hesitated when she arrived, seeing Kole there with Alexi already. She hadn't seen Damek yet today, and it worried her. She liked to keep tabs on the big alpha. Kole was nice enough, and Alexi left her alone because she wasn't ever willing to get drawn into a fight, so she pressed forward, straying to the far side of the stream, keeping her fur flat and her movement casual, but her eyes were ready to catch the slightest bit of movement, her ears pricked to pick up the sounds of them coming closer. She nodded politely to them, and lowered her head to drink. She'd only been drinking a few seconds when her ears picked up, too late, a third arrival, and Jovan leapt forward to land on her shoulders, forcing her head under water. He pinned her there for a few long moments, then bounded away to Alexi's side, where they both collapsed in laughter. She yanked her head out of the water, gasping for breath, wanting to hurt him for that, but unwilling to suffer the fight that she'd undoubtedly lose. So she settled for glaring at him darkly as she tried to control her frantic panting at the almost drowning.

She'd had enough water for the moment, and turned to return to the rest of the pack. She stiffened as she felt Kole come up alongside her.

~Hey, Katerina.~ The usually kind male greeted.

She licked his shoulder in greeting, wondering what he wanted. He walked idly with her back in the direction of the pack as he linked with her, asking if she was ok after Jovan's prank, making small talk about game and hunts. She listened, nodded when it was needed, making small sounds to indicate she was listening, but she didn't speak. Kole was nice, but even the nicest of their pack could turn on a dime, 180 into ferocity and take it out on whoever was nearest.

He shook out his fur awkwardly. ~So... time's coming up, isn't it?~

There is was. This would be her first season as an adult female in their pack. The first season someone would be able to fight for her, to claim her. The thought made her stomach churn. She knew there were other packs out there where females were thought of as special and to be coveted... if only the females in her pack were so lucky. ~How's Britta?~ She asked, changing the subject to exactly why she wasn't eager to attempt to mate with any of the males.

Kole had the decency to look uncomfortable. ~She mated to Jovan.~

~And how many males did it take to find that out?~ Katty asked caustically, making Kole wince.

~A few.~

She couldn't help the bristling of fur down her neck and shoulders. Poor Britta would probably stay curled in that pathetic little ball she'd been in for the next few days, long enough to help her block out the pain and humiliation of being passed around to the males, to help brace herself for having to belong to volatile Jovan. Katty didn't want that to be her. But better Jovan than Alexi, or even worse, Damek.

~Katerina!~ Damek's deep timbre rang in her and Kole's minds, making Kole lower his head and skitter back a few paces as Damek approached them. Katty didn't lower her head, but her eyes dropped to the ground on their own account.

~Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. I can't have you running off, little one. Who knows what sort of creatures are out there, just waiting for a little slip like you.~ He scolded, and Katty resisted the urge to point out she was more at risk being around him and his volatile anger and sex drive than anything she could encounter in the wild. He continued, letting her know her thoughts hadn't written themselves across her face.

He looked down at her, the edges of his lips curling into an almost snarl despite himself. The expression was simply his normal one, he barely realized he did it anymore. ~I'd hate to lose one of my own. With your parents gone, Katerina, I'm the closest thing left to you as a father figure.~

A father figure that'd just as soon mate to me as anything, she thought darkly, but again, held her tongue and simply nodded. ~I'm sorry Damek. It won't happen again.~

Damek took a long moment, watching her with unreadable eyes., but then nodded his big head. ~See that it doesn't.~ He snarled quickly at Kole, who crept off in a different direction, and Damek stepped closer to her. ~I'll be needing to see you tomorrow night, Katerina. It's time you took your rightful place at my side.~ He said before turning to pad off, leaving Katerina with ice in her veins.


	2. Chapter 2

She hadn't slept all night. She couldn't see Damek tonight, not knowing what was going to happen. She'd seen Lana enough times after her... encounters, with Damek's sexual side. Half the time the woman couldn't even hold a human form she'd been so mistreated. And when she could hold her human form, she was grisly. Bruises, marks, bites, scratches, there was that one time that Damek had accidentally sprained her arm by yanking too hard. Considering how tough Were-Hunters were supposed to be, Damek's violence had to be off the charts. But where Lana went back to him whenever he permitted, Katty wanted nothing to do with him. Lana accepted the pain as price of being the alpha female, but Katty wasn't an alpha, and didn't want the alpha price.

She paced nervously outside the cave the females shared, her mind racing with possibilities and coming up with nothing feasible. But still she paced, her mind idly counting down the hours until it would be too late.

A sound behind her made her spin around, teeth bared. But it was only Britta, standing in the doorway to the cave, limping softly. Katty stayed quiet, not sure what she wanted, but then Britta linked to her. ~Damek wants you, doesn't he?~  
Katty nodded.

~You're too sweet for him.~ Britta said, and Katty wanted to snort at the lie. It wasn't her "sweetness" that made her a bad fit, it was her dislike of being abused. Should Damek try to manhandle her, she wasn't sure she could keep from snapping at him. And gods help her if she did that.

Britta was still talking. ~He'll end up killing you. He nearly did me. And that was /after/ I mated to Jovan.~ She said, her voice tight.

~Jovan didn't stop it?~ Katty couldn't help asking.

~Would you try to stop Damek?~

Katty didn't answer, which was an answer unto itself. No one would stop Damek from taking what he wanted. That Britta would have technically belonged to Jovan wouldn't have mattered to Damek, and Katty felt herself feeling sorry for the male that had to watch his mate be taken by another and be powerless to stop it.

Britta walked to Katty's side. ~You have to leave.~

Katty startled. ~Like, run away?~ She asked. The idea had occurred to her, but she'd dismissed it as ridiculous. She'd never get far enough that they wouldn't catch her.

~If you leave now, you can be miles away before anyone even wakes.~

Katty looked closely at Britta, but didn't second guess the female's intentions. She slunk off like a silent white shadow until she was past the edge of the valley, where she broke into a full run.

The rocky terrain of the thinned forest soon gave way to the ice of the arctic, but she didn't stop. The sun began to rise, and she froze, hearing a howl on the wind. They'd discovered her missing. They be after her now, there was no turning back. Damek's furious howl rose louder than the others, and she started running again, fear lending her legs speed.

She ran until she felt like collapsing, when she reached the water's edge. She'd never been this far south before, and didn't know how to navigate this water that washed all familiar scents away. She dipped a paw in the water, hesitating, wondering if she had time to rest, but then another howl sounded, closer than before, and she dove in, hoping she had enough strength to get her to the other side.

She managed to reach the other side of the long peninsula, and dragged herself out of the freezing water. She couldn't force herself to go on, and collapsed on the ice, breathing heavily and waiting for any energy to return to her body. The howls were getting closer, but even terror couldn't overcome the exhaustion, and she resisted the almost overwhelming urge to close her eyes. Closer the howls drew, and they were almost on top of her by the time she was able to stumble to her feet and keep running. She ran, feeling the pack getting closer and closer, until she was ripped off her feet and thrown to the side, rolling and smashing against the icy terrain. She leapt to her feet in time to see Damek and Jovan join Alexi, her attacker. She snarled darkly, and backed a few paces, trying to keep all three in her line of sight. But then Jovan and Alexi attacked together, Damek watching in satisfaction from behind them.

She snapped at Jovan's throat as she kicked out at Alexi, but Alexi got her flank in his teeth, and she screeched, letting go of Jovan's throat and giving him the freedom to sink his teeth into her shoulder. She kept snapping at Jovan as she flailed her back paws at Alexi, dislodging him but feeling the rip of flesh as he took some of her hide with him. She clamped her teeth down on Jovan's muzzle, biting hard enough that he let go of her, and jumped away from the fray, keeping the weight off her back left leg, her injured side.

The two males regained their footing and approached her slowly, methodically. She kept backing up, knowing she couldn't outrun them. 'Is this how I die?' she wondered idly, but then another set of snarls sounded, and each of the males turned to see another wolf pack- pure wolves, not Weres- surrounding them, their grayish coats thick and their bellys full, compared to the scraggly looking white wolves of Katty's pack, of which the only fully fed one was Damek. Damek and the other two snarled at the newcomers, and Katty took the opportunity to bolt in a different direction, hoping the newcomers would recognize the males as the threat, and let her run.

She heard the sounds of a fight left behind her, but no one following her, and she limply made her way further south. She didn't notice the scenery turning greener, but she noticed the climate rising, but still she didn't stop. She couldn't risk her pack catching up to her, but she was losing a lot of blood from the wound on her flank and shoulder, but luckily Jovan had missed her throat, so it wouldn't kill her. Finally, she reached a city, and found train station. She snuck around the side, keeping to the shadows, her fur blending with the snow still on the ground, and stealthily snatched a suitcase. She dragged it to the back of the station and beyond into the nearest grouping of trees, too small to be called a forest, but enough to hide her from prying eyes. She changed to human, shivering in the cold her lack of clothing didn't protect her from. She'd never been taught how to use magic, and the only thing she had a firm handle on, aside from mind linking, was changing one form to another, though clothes were beyond her ability.

She dug through the suitcase pulling out women's clothes and piling them on, partially because they didn't quite fit, partially because she was cold, and partially to hide the still bleeding wounds on her shoulder and back of her upper thigh. She found a ticket tucked in the front pocket and glanced at the destination. New Orleans. Where the heck was that? Close? Far? Warm? Cold? Judging by what the passenger packed, it'd be warm. Hopefully it had enough wildland that she could stay in her wolf form without arising suspicion.


	3. Chapter 3

"She runs, Alexie, it's what she does. Just leave her."

Jovan's caustic words- idle words back then, when she'd run from a 'game' of let's see who bleeds the most- echoed through her mind, leaving her cold with the truth of them. She had run. She was still running. She wandered the city, practicing being human by night and hiding in the surrounding woods by day, when she was unable to hold human form for too long. The threat of Damek sending someone to get her was too great for her to risk settling anywhere, especially with the number of sightings real or imagined of her old pack, so she'd slipped out and run away in the middle of the night. But despite her longing to leave her trail behind, she'd lingered in New Orleans, sleeping in the woods during the day and wandering the festive streets aimlessly at night. It'd been like this for months, her hanging in limbo, not wanting to stay but unable to force herself to leave.

It was a night like that, her hat pulled low over her grown out blonde locks, her only possession a bag that she'd taken from the same suitcase she'd stolen on the train, that she wandered back for the umpteeth time to the Were-Hunter bar, Sanctuary. She'd discovered it one day during her exploring; it was hard to miss, smelling like a dozen different breeds of Were-hunters, mostly male. It was a terrifying place, but she kept coming back. The males at the door were often greeted by the name Peltier, which she wanted to say she recognize or should recognize but she didn't. But they hadn't eaten anyone yet, so she kept drifting back this way.

She lingered around the corner, watching the comings and goings. She knew the Were-Bear at the door knew she was there, just as he and his brothers did every night she drifted here. She felt safer here, like there was someone to call to for help should something happen to her.

A group of Wolves- Katagari like her- arrived in a cloud of motorcycle exhaust, and they got off their bikes and crowded into the bar in a noisy group, seeming to have not noticed her scent lingering on the wind. Not surprising, she was in an alley that smelled like alcohol and human vomit, she was lucky she could even smell the fumes from the exhaust across the street. The Were-Bear at the door raised an eyebrow in her direction after they'd all filed in, but didn't move other than that, for which she was grateful. It was time to go, she couldn't risk being around her own kind. For all she knew, Damek still had a bounty out for her. Even if he didn't want her anymore- and who would after all this time and trouble- he wasn't one to part with his toys easily, and if he didn't find her and do something about her, he'd lose the respect of the pack, he and she both knew that. She'd be running for her life for the rest of it, and there was no way around it.

She turned and started to walk away, but a sudden presence behind her and a hand on her shoulder made her spin with a feral snarl, skittering back a few paces from the gangly Wolfswain behind her. She wasn't fooled by his easy smile, nor his hands raised in mock surrender.

"Woah, sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

She continued to back away, putting herself out of his immediate reach, her lips falling from her snarl but her eyes still glaring at him. "What do you want?"

"Hey, don't go, I didn't mean anything. I was going to invite you in." He gestured back to the bar. She shook her head, and his smile widened persuadingly. "C'mon, it won't hurt. You look hungry. And cold."

She was cold, but that wasn't any of his business. She shook her head and finally, his smile fell some.

"How about if I brought you something instead?" She hesitated and his smile popped back up full wattage. "Awesome. I'm Keegan. Keegan Kattalakis at your service."

She watched him carefully, waiting for him to go get food so she could make her escape, but he was looking at her expectantly. "What?" She asked, barely on the right side of polite and snappish.

"This is usually where you introduce yourself, Wolfswan."

She hesitated. If she told him her name and he recognized it, she could be in trouble. But the odds of Damek having spread news that he'd lost the mousiest wolf of his pack aside from the omega was admittedly unlikely, despite her worries. While she debated, Keegan's grin had grown crooked. "You got a name there, Wolfswan?" He teased.

"Katerina." She said simply.

He mock bowed to her. He was all restless energy; she'd almost forgotten how jittery her own kind could be. He was speaking again, and she cocked her head at him at his words.

"Nice to meet you Rina." He greeted, cocking his head back at her playfully. "What, you don't like nicknames?"

"I've never heard that one before." She said, her head down. He moved like he'd reach out to touch her, but decided against it last second, and instead raked his hand through his hair instead. She raised her eyes to him, her head still down, still waiting for him to turn to leave, and he did, but he'd not even taken a step before he glanced back with a chuckle.

"You're not really gonna make me bring food out to you in the cold, are you Rina?" She looked back and forth between him and the back alleyway- her escape. There'd be no escape in the bar. He seemed to sense her hesitation, and his voice got a little softer. "Whatever you're scared of, it ain't gonna get you in Sanc. It's a limani after all."

She blinked in confusion. "What's a limani have anything to do with me?"

"Don't you know what a limani is?" She shook her head and he laughed, which made her bristle. "It's a safe haven. Where are you from that you don't have limanis?"

Now he was digging too much. She took another couple steps back, and he quickly backtracked. "Hey, sorry, I'm done with the questions, ok?" He placated her. "But seriously, I've got my brothers in there; whatever you're worried about, it won't get in."

She cast a glance at the door, unsure. "What if they're already in there?" She asked, the question just a sighed breath. She felt irritation rising in him, but his words were still kind when he spoke. "So it's a 'they' you're worried about. Well, whoever it is, they ain't gettin' near you. Trust me?" He asked, holding out a hand.

She walked past him, toward the bar, not taking his hand. "No."

He laughed a loud belly laugh and loped after her. "Well alright then." They passed the Were-Bear, who looked to Katty with an odd half glare/ half indulgent look.

"About time you stopped lurking in the shadows."

"Shut it Quinn, she's with us." Keegan snapped.

"Now, anyway." The Bear muttered as the two Wolves made their way inside."

It was so loud, too loud. A band was playing in the far end of the bar, and there were beings everywhere, human, non-human, a few immortals, a couple gods, demons, and Were-Hunters. Everywhere she looked, every breath she took was Were-Hunter. Bear, Hawk, big cats and even a Dragos around somewhere. She felt herself getting overwhelmed quickly, but then Keegan was waving a hand in front of her face.

"You ok Wolfswan?"

She managed a nod, and he nodded in the direction of some stairs to a second floor. She followed him closely, until they arrived on the second floor and he headed straight for a table of Wolves. She'd known, obviously, that his brothers were Wolves, and probably that group that had arrived earlier, but they were a lot larger and a lot scarier up close. Six other males aside from Keegan, each taller and rougher looking than the last. She felt her heart stall, and her feet stopped moving. They were human formed, but they were just very large copies of Damek. How did she get herself into this?

"Wolfswan? Rina, hey girl, focus." He put himself in front of her, blocking her view of the wolves. "It's ok, remember, they're with me, you're ok."

A new voice behind them spoke up, chiding and motherly. "What'd you do to the poor girl, Keegan?"

"I don't know Aims." He said, looking to her for help. Aimee smiled sweetly and set a hand on Katerina's shoulder, balancing a tray in the other hand. "You listen to me, honey. The leader of that little group of guys is my mate. Not one of them is gonna give you any trouble, mark my words. I'll skin anyone who so much as looks at you sideways, 'kay?"

The Were-Bear's presence calmed her a little more, along with Keegan's adamant insistence, and she finally broke the fear paralysis and nodded. "Ok..."

The Were-Bear and Keegan ushered her over to the males, where she tried to shrink back against the Were-Bear best she could. They introduced the males, Vane, Fang, Fury, Liam, Craig, and Devon. They watched her with an eerie stillness until Keegan broke the silence. "She's with me, jackas-" He cut off, looking abashed at his language, "Just play nice, ok?"

"I second that." Aimee added, pinning one of the males in particular Fang- with a glare. He nodded and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head for a kiss the Were-Bear willingly gave.

She cocked her head, confused again, but didn't ask about the inter-species affection. Wasn't her business. Keegan pulled a chair out for her and asked Aimee for some food for her. The Bearswan left to go get the food, and the males went back to their previous conversation, one that sounded centered around over-active toddlers, smart mouthed teens, and family. She shot a look at Keegan, who grinned that easy grin and leaned over to talk quietly to her.

"They've all gotten pretty boring since those four-" He gestured to Vane, Fang, Fury and Liam, "went and got mated on us. Now all we hear about is family advice."

"Luckily, we're much more entertaining than they are even when they're not talking dirty diapers." Craig said, leaning toward her on her other side. She instinctively shrank back from him, and unwittingly into Keegan, and quickly pulled away from him, too. Oh, gods help her she had no idea why she was even still sitting here.

Fury scowled. "Keegan, calm your jackrabbit over there." He sniped, pinning her with a look. "We're not gonna eat you or whatever it is you think we're gonna do, so chill out."

Keegan scowled back at him. "Lay off, Fury, she's watching out for some Weres, she's allowed to be on edge. Not like you're the chillest most times, anyway." He snapped. The two males glared at each other like they'd like to start a fight right there, but with looks to her, they sat back in their chairs, apparently deciding to ignore each other until they chilled out. She breathed a sigh of relief as Aimee brought over some food for them all. The males dug in, but despite the tantalizing smells, she waited patiently, until the Alpha- the one that smelled of Arcadian- looked at her.

"You not hungry, Katerina?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, sir. I can wait." She said, her head ducking down instinctively. He may not be her Alpha, but he was an Alpha nonetheless.

He smiled and looked to Keegan, who nudged her and pushed her plate a little closer to her. "You don't have to wait, Rina. You can eat if you're hungry."

She peeked up to see the Arcadian Alpha and the one that'd snapped at her nodding to her plate, and Keegan was smiling encouragingly. So she took a bite, and then another, until she was eating eagerly, having forgotten exactly how hungry she was. It took her a second to realize the males were watching her in amusement, and she quickly drew her hands back to her lap and ducked her head again, making Fury groan.

"Gods. Good luck with that one, kid."


	4. Chapter 4

She had declined Keegan's offer to return to the house his pack stayed in, declined the Were-Bear's offer to stay at Sanctuary. She was starting not to mind Keegan and his jittery personality, and she genuinely did like Aimee. But she had to stay alone, it was the only safe way. But that was getting harder and harder as Keegan started popping up in New Orleans at her favorite haunts- the park she liked to linger, a few cafes with good food, the street that lined the river on one side. The Wolfswain was more annoying than she'd originally given him credit for.

And to top off that annoyance, she was still seeing and scenting ghosts of Kole and Jovan and Alexie, though none of the girls and never Damek himself. She was a few days away from finally breaking away from New Orleans, since she'd been forced to abandon her usual nighttime places to avoid Keegan.

She rounded the came to St. Peter St from Chartres, where it let out to Jackson Square, only a few blocks from Sanctuary, and froze. That could have been a lot of things, but an illusion wasn't one of them. Alexie and Jovan stood about halfway down the block, at one opening to the Square, looking annoyed and hot and agitated. Jovan's foot tapped an eccentric beat on the sidewalk, and Alexie looked around as though waiting for someone.

Her scent was all over that park, it was how she'd figured Keegan knew he could find her there. She started shaking, but tried to keep her cool and slowly turned to leave, digging in her bag for her hat to pull over her too-obvious blonde hair. The boys weren't used to seeing her human, but their pack was small; if they didn't recognize her human face, they'd sure as hell recognize her scent. She kept her strides even and steady, moving in the opposite direction of the boys. Yep. Definitely time to go. She just had to figure out where.

" 'Rina! Hey, Rina, wait up!"

Did the gods truly hate her this much? She'd never done anything to any of them. She upped her pace, hoping Keegan would take the hint and that the boys wouldn't pair her name with the nickname. She didn't risk a glance back at Alexie or Jovan, but then Keegan bounded into her line of vision, and she sighed. "I don't really have time to play right now, Keegan, I have to go."

He only grinned. "So soon? But I just barely managed to track you down. There're some new guys in town and Fang wanted us to check it out, and I spotted you on our way to the Square."

Awesome. Maybe Alexie would mouth off to Fang and get his face bitten off. That'd solve at least one problem. "Well, they're over in the Square, you should really go there too." She said, not slowing or stopping until he reached for her hand to make her pause. She did, her own foot now tapping with erratic nerves, willing herself not to look back.

"You're jumpier than before. You know these new guys?"

Of all the times for his hyperactivity to calm into observant. "We've crossed paths I don't feel like crossing again." She said. Another voice made her blood freeze in her veins and the color drain from her face.

"Katerina?" She spun to see Kole staring at her in disbelief. Oh man. Kole, for his part, looked beyond uncomfortable, looking back and forth from her to where she'd left Alexie and Jovan behind. "Kole, please. Don't." She begged, her voice ragged at the thought of what their orders must be. Dead or alive, that was the question.

Keegan stepped between her and Kole, looking more threatening than she would've though he could be. "You got an issue, wolf?"

Kole looked to the city wolf with a curl of his lips, the startings of a snarl sounding. "Not with you." He turned his eyes back to Katerina. Damek didn't care what state she was brought in, and he really didn't want to hurt her, but orders were orders so he'd leave that to the other two. "Sorry, Katerina..." He said, mindlinking to the others that he'd found her. They'd be glad, they'd all been at this for weeks.

She looked to Keegan in a panic. "You have to go. Now." She said, shoving him away, back the direction he came. She couldn't have his blood on her conscience.

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he stood firm, refusing to be moved. He didn't wait for a response as he turned his glare to the new wolf, a growl rising in his throat. "You'd best leave now, newcomer. This is Kattalakis territory."

The surname of their Grand Regis actually made Kole pause where Katerina hadn't, but then Alexie was shouting, and she spotted him and Jovan shoving their way through the crowd, and she panicked, torn between running and making Keegan leave first. "Keegan go, please!"

Keegan had already spotted the two others, and braced himself for a fight. She groaned and yanked at his arm. "Three on one isn't a fight you're going to win!" She said, her voice rising an octave in desperation. But with that damnably reckless grin, he shrugged.

"I don't plan fighting three on one, Wolfswan."

With those words, Fang and Liam stepped out from the alleyway, likely having just flashed there, and were at Keegan's side a good few seconds before Jovan and Alexie reached Kole's, who back a few paces away. Alexie and Jovan slowed and approached Kole, and the three arctics faced off with the city wolves, tension and the threat of violence hanging so thick it was practically tangible. She lingered behind the Kattalakis wolves, half wondering if she could slip away. But she was the cause for the violence, she had a sort of obligation to stay to see the outcome.

The arctics were larger, better fed, more rested than she remembered them being. Still small compared to the Kattalakis wolves, but definitely not the scrawny, ill-kept wolves she remembered running from. New Orleans had been good to them, just as it had been to her.

Fang stepped forward, putting himself at the head of his trio. "Wolves, stand down. I won't tell you again." He ordered, his voice that deep timbre of an Alpha that even had Alexie hesitating. But true to form, he puffed back up.

"The wolfswan is of our pack. She owes us debt and we've come to collect."

A growl ripped from Keegan's throat, and Fang shot him a look to shut it, and he swallowed the rest of the growl reluctantly as Fang turned back to Alexie. "What debt?"

Alexie looked too smug, too sure of himself. It frightened her. "She ran from our pack after killing a fellow pack female."

She didn't even register the simultaneous looks Fang, Keegan and Liam shot her as she shrieked in indignation, forgetting to be scared. "What? I did no such thing!" She felt the abnormal urge to slap that smug look right off his face as he lifted his lip at her. "Then how do you explain Britta's death on the night you vanished?"

She paled. "No... no, Britta, she told me to go, she said he'd..." She'd said Damek would kill her, like he'd almost done to Britta. Oh, gods, they knew it'd been Britta. They'd... she felt her legs give out from under her and would have hit the ground had Keegan been a second slower. She looked up at Kole, the least sadistic of the males, unable to form words, just a link.

~Why, Kole? She didn't do anything.~ But Kole simply averted his eyes guiltily.

Fang growled, redirecting everyone's attention as Keegan gently lowered her to the ground to steady herself. "Seems we have a difference of opinion." He said, looking from Katerina to each of the males, his eyes lingering on especially guilty looking Kole. "Maybe we should take this to Fury. Being Regis, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to... persuade the truth out of one of you." He said, the words dripping with threat, ignoring her entirely now, focusing on the arctic males.

"I'm sure we don't need to bother the Regis. It's clear she's lying. Why else would she align herself with wolves so capable of protecting her? That girl you see? Is just a mask, to hide her true intentions. She's a survivor, however she needs to be."

Fang smirked, looking all the deadlier for it. "And yet you don't want to take her to your Regis?"

Alexie didn't answer. He knew he was at risk of being exposed, and without Damek to back him up, he'd step down. "This isn't over."

"Looks pretty fuckin' over to me. Beat it, wolves, and don't let me catch you on our territory again without invitation."

The arctics slowly backed away, and Alexie caught her eyes, not looking away until he's physically rounded a corner and lost sight of her. She tried to calm her frantic panting, and tried to focus on the Kattalakis wolves, who were talking amongst themselves.

"It's a serious accusation if they bring it to Omegrion." Fang was pointing out.

"Fang, c'mon," Keegan pled, "They haven't brought it to Omegrion yet for obvious reasons! You know that as well as I do."

Liam spoke from Fang's other side. "Still, it could proven dangerous-"

She interrupted Liam, mostly in control of herself again. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I can leave. But I did NOT kill anyone. I'll go in front of Omegrion to swear it if you want me to. But I'm not a murderer."

Keegan helped her back to her feet, his voice suddenly softer. "I know that, wolfswan. I believe you."

Fang shot the younger wolf a warning look and pinned her with a significantly harsher look. "It's not a matter of believing you, it's a matter of how far they're willing to take it, especially if it is falsehood. I think you'd better come with us and explain this mess to Fury. He'll decide what to do with you." He glanced at his watch, cursing under his breath. "Damn, Aims is gonna have my hide for being late. Pup, Liam, get her to Vane's and tell him we need Fury, wherever his useless self if hiding. I've got a Bearswan to placate." And with that, he stepped further into the alleyway and vanished.

She really didn't want to go with them, but she knew better than to defy orders, and she let Liam set a hand on her shoulder, the other on Keegan's, and flash them to a foyer of an extremely nice house. "Where are we?"

Keegan shot her a smile. "Still in New Orleans. Garden District. Bride likes to keep a house big enough for all of us." He said, watching Liam lope up the stairs. Keegan looked back to her and gestured to the couch. "Wanna sit?"

She shook her head. What she wanted was to be wolf. She felt so helpless in human form. But she had a feeling that'd be impolite. They'd all been human since she met them, despite their shared Katagari roots, and until one of them went back to animal form, she'd follow their leads. "I'm fine." She heard Vane and Liam coming down the stairs before she saw them enter the living room, and she shot Vane an apologetic smile, to which he smiled kindly.

"Hear you got yourself into some trouble with an outside pack."

She nodded, her eyes on the ground, her shoulders hunched, waiting for the anger. But it didn't come. Instead, she heard him flip open a cell.

"Hey Fury, can you spare a few minutes? ... The girl Keegan met... yeah, she's got baggage in the form of some outsiders... ok, cool, see you soon." He flipped the phone shut and shot her a smile she missed, still staring at the ground. "We'll figure it out, Katerina. Don't worry. Fury's an as- he's rough around the edges, but he's fair. He'll hear you out."

It only took a few minutes before Fury appeared in the room, glaring at her. She dropped her eyes again, missing the annoyed look Keegan shot Fury in return, and Fury went to Vane's side.

"What's up? Make it quick, I got cubs at home."

Vane turned to look at Katerine, who wilted under the scrutiny of the two Alphas. "Katerina? Shall we start at the beginning?"

She tried to run through what had happened quickly, as per Fury's request, her reasons for leaving the pack, Britta's insistence that it was the only solution, her fight with Alexie and Jovan and Damek before the pack of Real wolves interfered and gave her a chance at escape. "I've been here for weeks and weeks, but today was the first time they'd caught me. I was planning on leaving, I swear. I didn't mean to bring trouble!" She prayed they believed her. If they didn't... there were a lot of them and one of her. No one would ever know she was missing.

Fury ran a hand through his hair. "Look kid, I don't believe you killed anyone. I have a hard time believing you even eat decently, considering you usually look like a rabbit could punch you in the nose and walk away. But do you think they'll bring it to Omegrion?"

She shook her head. "Damek doesn't like involving anyone who outranks him."

Fury grinned. "Sounds like someone I should meet. Well, I don't think they'll be back soon, but to be safe, you should stick around the pack for a while. Just in case."

She finally lifted her eyes to him, though only for a second before she dropped them again. "But I was going to-"

"Stay. You were going to stay." It was an order, not a request.

She dropped her eyes again. "Stay, yes. I was going to stay."

Gods dammit.


	5. Chapter 5

This house was suffocating. She felt trapped in the halls and seemingly endless rooms in the big house. She hadn't yet risked going outside, lest she irritate Fury- something she had less then no intention of doing- or Vane. While Vane seemed nicer, and had been raised Katagari from what she understood, he was still Arcadian. Humans could be funny about emotions and mood swings, it was just one of those species things. She'd at least been given her own room, in something called a wing on the opposite side of the house from Keegan and the other unmated or younger males, and she'd retreated back to wolf form and curled up on a window seat, gazing outside. She had no intention of leaving the room anytime soon; the wolves of the house were too intense, too jumpy, too lethal, for her to even consider leaving the room, even though Bride- Vane's mate- and some other females were lingering around the house with their cubs at any given time.

The males were constantly around, constantly breaking into scuffles and roughhousing in and out of the house. Even now, she watched a few run across the yard, toward the meager woods at the back of the property, and they could only get halfway there before two of them crashed to the ground in a writhing pile of claws and teeth. They rose after only a few seconds, neither wolf any worse for the wear, but still she curled tighter in on herself from her window spot, laying her furry head down on her paws.

She knew she was being overly harsh on the Kattalakis pack. Technically speaking- and Fury aside- they'd been nothing but nice to her. But in her opinion, they'd be nicest if they'd just let her go. Let her escape the city and hopefully take the Arctics with her, save them any further trouble. But she'd seen the sheen of piqued interest in Fury's eyes when she'd mentioned Damek; he was hoping her old Alpha would come down and cause trouble. And honestly, he'd probably get his wish.

A knock on the door made her turn her head to the door that was slowly creaking open, to reveal Bride's face smiling at her. Where Vane was Arcadian, his mate was simply human; it was a curious sort of thing, one she no more mentioned than Fang's mating with the Bearswan at Sanctuary.

"Hey girl, I thought you might be hungry. You've been up here for almost two days, we were starting to think you'd run out on us." Bride's words were playful, but her eyes were serious, and Katty almost wanted to laugh. She was a lot of things, but stupid enough to run off after her Grand Regis laid down a law was not one of them. She could long to leave all she wanted, but facts were that aside from the god she'd heard ran the Omegrion Council, Fury was top dog- pun entirely intended- of her existence. She'd be stuck here until he rescinded his order to stay. She went into the closet and shifted back human out of politeness, pulling on clothes and going back to the window seat, glancing up at Bride, not responding to her comment, but still Bride's smile widened when Katty shifted. She came further into the room and set a tray of food on the desk table near the door, and shot a sympathetic smile to Katty, gesturing to the bed.

"May I?"

Another stupid question. She was mate to one of the Grand Regis', of course she could sit. But she was hovering, waiting for some sort of response, so Katty nodded. Bride sat lightly near the middle of the bed, not too near to Katty but not particularly far away either, and Katty cocked her head. She'd overheard enough conversations in the house- did nobody bother to lower their voice unless cubs were sleeping?- that she knew Bride had grown up with animals, but her slow movements and careful expression were the first evidence of it Katty had actually seen.

"I'm sure it's hard, adjusting to a new house and a new location. But I don't want you to feel like you have to stay up here all the time, so if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know." Katty just nodded, and Bride chuckled. "You're not big into talking, are you?"

Katty shook her head, but spoke, since it seemed like Bride wanted her to. "Not very, no."

Bride nodded and stood. "I understand. Some of the other women and I are gathering in the family room with the cubs if you feel like joining. The men will be hanging around, but it'll be mostly females and cubs."

Katty cocked her head again, but nodded. "I can do that." She said quickly, bristling a little when Bride laughed, nto sure if she was being laughed with or at.

"No pressure, Katerina. Just know we're down there if you get lonely. I know some wolves are more comfortable around others, some not. It's your choice." The older woman smiled and left the room.

The moment she was alone, she shifted back to wolf, shimmied out of the dress, and leapt off the window seat near to the desk with the food. She hopped up and propped her front paws on the desk and ate the steak on the plate. Nice of Bride to make a meal she didn't have to use utensils to eat. She did end up shifting back to human, donning the dress again to drink her water like a civilized... wolf.

She giggled to herself. She was only civilized since arriving in New Orleans. She finished her water and decided to creep downstairs to see the cubs Bride had mentioned. She shifted to wolf to made her way to the top of the stairs. So far no one around. She slipped down the stairs like a white shadow until she made it to the bottom, and followed the sound and scent of the females and pups until she was at the entrance of the large family room. There wasn't a door, merely an opening in the wall leading in, and she lingered around the corner until a mindlink reached her form one of the females.

~You're welcome to come in, unless you prefer hiding around the corner.~ One of the females linked to her, catching her off guard.

Startled, she came into the room, her head down, her tail not curled completely under her legs yet, but hanging low so the tip of her tail brushed the ground. Two of the females were wolf, but there was another human one with Bride, likely for Bride's comfort, as well as an Arcadian woman as well. Though Bride herself looked perfectly at ease as she held Trace's hand to help him stand. One of the females, a reddish brown wolf, nudged at a pup, though hers or another female's Katty didn't know, and the pup suddenly shifted to a tall human toddler, unsteady on his feet and looking a bit dazed. The poor little girl had been much more adept and agile as a puppy; obviously she was just learning how to shift.

Bride smiled widely. "Well hello there Katerina. I'd hoped you'd come down. I'm not sure if you know Angelia, Lilia, Asha, and Sandy..." Katerina nodded quickly to the females, still lingering by the door.

The other human woman- Angelia- smiled at the nervous white wolf. "Hey Katerina. You like cubs?"

She watched the pups, her tail twitching like it wanted to thump happily. She was the youngest in the Northern pack, and had been for a few seasons now, so she never got to see children. They were cute, so she nodded in response to Angelia, and the human formed wolf nudged a puppy with her foot, encouraging him toward Katty. The little pup bounded over without any more prompting, and Katty immediately crouched down to the ground, so by the time the pup reached her he was able to jump onto her back, propping his front paws on her back and nipping at her ear. She huffed a laugh and Sandy nodded her over to them. She tilted her back to gently slide the puppy's paws off her and rose to go over to the other females. They were still a little twitchy, and she could tell they were a little uncomfortable having her around the puppies, but she didn't miss the looks Bride shot the others, silently telling them to relax.

She lay among the puppies and females, letting the little ones climb all over her like a jungle gym, and the tension in the room slowly dissipated. A couple hours later, she was still in the room with the females, though she hadn't said much, mostly listened as the females chatted about the pups and males and Bride's store she owned, Lilac and Lace.

"Have you been to Lilac yet Katerina?" Asha asked.

She shrugged her wolfy shoulder. ~I think so. I don't remember names of the shops.~

Sandy spoke up from cleaning a pup. ~I'm running low on clothes, we should go tomorrow.~

The women murmured an agreement- and a laugh at the assumed reason Sandy was running low on clothing, likely the same reason the three cubs in the room that were hers were her third litter in as many years- and looked expectantly at Katty, who wilted under the scrutiny. Bride smiled sweetly. "You can decide tomorrow when we leave, Katerina, no pressure."

Katty nodded gratefully. She didn't mind being around the females, necessarily, but they stressed her out a little by being so high stressed. She knew it was just the nature of her species, but still. She rose, careful of the pups, and nodded to the females. ~Thank you for having me down, I think I'm going to go outside for a bit.~

The females nodded without a backwards glance at her as she left the room, heading for the back door. She hopped up to open the door- the handle was a useful one, long and you pulled down to open it instead of the round ones you had to twist with human hands- and she pushed the door open and kicked it shut behind her. She padded a few yards away, until she was near the side wall of the yard, and settled under a tree, sighing and stretching out in the warm night air. She'd almost managed to doze off when a boisterous scuffle made her open her eyes. Some of the males came bounding back toward the house, having just flashed back from the Kattalakis pack's territory in the woods. She spotted Keegan with his brother Liam and a few others- though Fang was absent, his brothers were there- before he spotted her, but once he did he broke off from the pack and trotted over to her. If she'd been human she'd have rolled her eyes. It was basically all his fault she was stuck here, and she'd let him know that if he insisted on conversation.

"Hey Rina."

~What do you want Keegan?~

He crouched low, flattening his ears and creeping closer. ~Aw, Rina, don't be sore. I didn't know they'd make you stay.~

She turned her head so she didn't have to look at him. ~Either way, I'm stuck here now and I'd thank you to go inside with the others while I attempt to enjoy what little freedom I have.~ She linked to him snippily, but he just inched a little closer again, wagging his tail a little.

~How about we go to pack territory? That way we can run. Will that help you forgive me a little?~ She immediately looked back at him, and his tail wagged even harder. ~Is that a yes?~ He stood, turning to go back inside. ~Let me tell Fury and I'll be right back!~ *He promised, running back to the house and bursting through the door.

She shook her furry head, slowly standing. He was like a lightning bolt, full of energy and power and quick to move. He came running back out, and slowed as he neared her. ~He says you can't run away, under any circumstance.~

~Why not?~ She had no plans of escaping; the thought of Fury tracking her down was about as frightening as Damek tracking her down. She had enough enemies for one lifetime. But it was fun to see Keegan get ruffled, as he was getting now.

~Because he said so.~

~But WHY?~

Keegan shifted uncomfortably. ~Because we had another run in with your old buddies.~

The fur bristled along her spine. ~What? When? What happened?~

~Rina, don't worry about it. It was a short meeting. They were hanging around the outskirt of the territory and we chased them off. They're not coming back.~

~Not without backup, you mean.~

~See, this is why I wasn't gonna tell you. It's not even a big deal. We outnumber them at least three to one. It'll be cake keeping them away from you. Weren't we going for a run?~

She huffed in annoyance. ~Yes. Before you tried to keep important secrets from me.~

He nudged her shoulder with his nose, flashing them to the pack's territory in the same moment. ~I wasn't keeping secrets, I was not telling you unimportant information. UNimportant, Rina.~

She started to lope, and he jumped to keep pace with her. ~You still should have told me without me having to drag it out of you.~

~I get that now! I swear to the gods I'll tell you next time can we get over it now?~

She barked a laugh, and drifted to the side so she could knock into him softly as they ran, knocking him off center for only a second. ~Fine. I'm over it. Just this once though! You'd better tell me next time or I'm biting you.~

~That could be enjoyable...~

She knocked into him more solidly this time and he went sprawling to the side. He jumped back up and ran to catch back up with her, even his mind link hard to understand past the laughter. ~Alright alright I get it. Next time you'll be the first to know when we get back!~


End file.
